Monday, August 11, 2008

The project is moving faster!

I bought an electric fold-up bicycle to get around in. It is a HUGE improvement. Instead of wasting very expensive biodiesel fuel in order to run errands, I can run them for free on a bicycle. The electricity is free too, as I mentioned, because now that the fan is in, I can park my van's solar panels in the hot sun without suffocating, and charge up the bicycle.

I spent the day on my bicycle, going around to dollar discount stores, shopping for cheap furniture. Cabinets and shelves will make my life so much more joyful. Places to put stuff without stumbling over it all the time! I'm so excited!

The sunlight and fresh air-- and also being around a very sharp and very mechanically-talented fellow vandweller-- has given me a new outlook on life, and on vandwelling.

I love it. I love my life! And I'm loving vandwelling. I'll only feel 100% comfortable once I have a semi-permament, secure, fully-legal place to park (on private property, and probably for some rent), but right now I'm very excited with owning my own home.

I just bought a small twin-size futon frame ("single" size, according to IKEA) to replace my homemade platform bed. It's low on the ground, which is how I prefer to sit and sleep anyway; this climbing up and down is killing my knees. Out of the remnants of the old bed, I'm going to try building a plywood "extension" to fit my larger "long twin" size futon mattress onto the "single" size futon.

Driving back from buying it, I got stuck in traffic. I was getting pissed off, and then I remembered: "Hey, I'm home already!" So I just parked, walked a few blocks to buy a fantastic Gyros sandwich, ate dinner, and sat down to post this.

I'm sitting down for the first time, after 6 months of full-time vandwelling, and actually planning out the space and the improvements I want to do on the van.

I'm going to do some van maintenance too: I'm eager to change the fuel filter (again), the oil and oil filter, and possibly even tackle the other four glow plugs